THEN

The Musical Mutual Protective Union was founded by theater and ballroom musicians in 1863. Formed to pursue better wages and working conditions, this powerful labor organization had more than five thousand members by 1904. When the 85th Street annex was constructed by Trowbridge & Livingston in 1916-19, it was part of the Yorkville Casino, the union’s lavishly-decorated 1905 meeting hall on East 86th Street. These conjoined structures were used for many types of events, including concerts, films, dinners and political meetings, some of which were organized by pro-Nazi groups. Though the complex closed in 1964 and the Casino was remodeled into a glassy office building and cinema, the 85th Street annex survives as a medical facility. Marked by a row of simple stone pillars, this part of the building contained billiard rooms and a spacious balconied ballroom.